


Melting Ice

by TheDarkFlygon



Series: Autumn Fever (Whumptober 2020) [11]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Caretaking, F/M, Fever, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, Sickfic, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:56:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27085945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon
Summary: Iori gets a terrible, no bad day on the job.
Relationships: Izumi Iori/Takanashi Tsumugi
Series: Autumn Fever (Whumptober 2020) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966432
Kudos: 4





	Melting Ice

**Author's Note:**

> The incredible prequel to Pumpkin Spice Drizzle nobody, especially me, asked for. (It's not meant to be, but I found the coincidence in my inspiration too funny not to mention).
> 
> Bet nobody missed my girl Kimidori, but she's back, sassier than she ever was in BST.  
> Iori is a little OOC in this because I actually originally wanted to tackle that good ol' "can you please read the thermometer's display for me, my eyes can't see shit rn" prompt, but I failed miserably because I'm simply not sickfic-vibing atm. I didn't realize this list was so sickfic-focused and I'm starting to get burnt out on them. I'll have to find some new cool spin or I'm gonna combust with the next prompt, considering it's fucking Strep Throat of all things. Talk about specifics lmao.  
> Anyway, yeah, this sucks, but I really wanted that prompt out of the way. I'll get back to the one I mentioned earlier another day for sure (I think I already tackled something like this 2 years ago for Fever February... I need to bring that back, now that I think about it). Woooow.  
> also we still need more iotsumu in the world - i just need to provide better crumbs to convince the fandom who's already mostly disowned me by that point

Despite everything feeling fuzzy around him, his own settings blurry and faraway, he can feel a burning stare digging into his mind. The answer as to who is obvious, despite the way his vision slurs before his eyes. It’s not hard to guess when there are only two set of voices in the coffeeshop and no client to serve in the dead middle of the morning, between the time the breakfast clientele comes in and the beginning of lunch time.

That doesn’t make it better for him, of course, as always when he’s stuck with her. He’d have rather had Kurosaki beside him. At least, that guy doesn’t throw sassy remark after sassy remark. Actually, it’d be Kurosaki here behind the counter with him if the guy hadn’t tried to come to work with pneumonia of all things. Talk about misfortune, since he’s pretty much doing the same.

“Do I even wanna _know_ why you’re here with a thermometer in your pocket, _Izumi_?” The low, loud voice of Kimidori reaches his ears.

Okay, he’s got two options there: admit he’s got one raging fever going on and has come to work by pure professionalism (and to see his crush), or lie about it and be a complete and utter moron of a fool (or fool of a moron – if those words aren’t interchangeable per thesaurus rules, that is).

“No, no you don’t,” is all he replies, because staying vague is always the safest option when you’ve got no idea what to do in any given situation.

And then, of course, he had to prove her point and hack dryly into his hand.

“Great job.”

She waits for his coughing fit to end. When it does, he needs to get back from a half-folded position into a more proper one. Upon rising his eyes, he sees her with her hands on her hips, looking full of disapproval, standing tall when she’s usually half-a-head smaller than him.

“Time out, Mr Perfection”, he dislikes the roll of her tongue on the abhorrent nickname. “You’ve shown you can’t even handle standing up, just go back to bed. Imma call your bro-in-law or something if you don’t comply.”

“And who gives you the right to do that…?”

“The fact I’m standing and you just _ain’t_.”

She’s not his manager (they probably don’t even have one, judging by how said manager’s never _here_ to begin with), so she’s legally got no right over him – but he’s honestly too tired to argue against it which, you know, is only going to make him even more suspicious.

“Mind your business, Kimidori.”

“If you get _our_ clients sick, then it becomes _my_ business. Know your limits, Izumi.”

He watches her tap something on her phone from the corner of his vision filled with tears as another coughing fit takes a hold of him.

“Who…?”

“Who I’m sending a text to? The only person whose presence is essential to my plan: your gf.”

He isn’t dating anyone, so she can’t be referring to anyone… Oh. Of _course_. It’s _Kimidori_ he’s talking to here. He shouldn’t forget that.

“…don’t,” he snaps in a hoarse voice.

He can’t bite strongly enough, so he tries taking his temperature while Kimidori is too busy doing whatever it is that she’s doing behind his back, but when he tries looking at the numbers showing on the little thing, they blur into an unreadable mess, and that’s when he realizes the fever’s made him do a terrible, terrible mistake of a decision.

In a sudden rush of desperation, he then tries asking Kimidori for her expertise, but all he hears is something drop to the floor, then a sickening thump. He’s the one who produced the thumping, which he barely has time to register before most of his senses abruptly shut down.

The last thing he can feel is Kimidori kneeling to him, screaming her head off in intelligible words, as his vision darkens for good and he slips into the slumber of feverish unconsciousness.

* * *

When he comes to, the first thing he does is hacking up a lung, _then_ wondering where the hell he is. He doesn’t quite recognize the pinkish light invading the dimly-lit room nor the very faint smell he can still sense through a mostly clogged nose… until he realizes a couple seconds too late he’s been here already, and then he recognizes the bunny in the cage making some noise not too far from him.

This is _Takanashi’s_ flat.

Actually, she’s right by his side too, doing whatever she’s been doing. The sound of his lungs tearing themselves apart seems to have startled her, however, since she looks shaken and has dropped a book to the floor, judging by the position of her hands.

“Y-you’re awake!” She stutters as she changes something resting on the top of his head, brushing some sweat with water. “Gosh, I got so scared when Sei was screaming on the phone! How are you feeling?”

She doesn’t sound like she’s mad at anyone involved for essentially roping her into Kimidori’s schemes, bless her heart. Her patience is a jewel to behold. (If he wasn’t sick as a dog, he’d have probably found it more awkward than that).

“… _dreadful_.”

“I’d have bet so! You felt so hot to the touch, I thought Sei had burnt her hands trying to get you into a good-enough position behind the counter. Do you mind if I take your temperature? We can go to the doctor once you feel… not so terrible.”

He shakes his head. Bring it on.

Takanashi slowly inserts the thermometer inside his mouth without a shred of protest going against her. Too tired, too unwilling to go against her when he’s been pining after for weeks, if not months by now, yet is still unable to tell her about it – he’s clearly in no state to passionately declare his flame to her. He’s busy being the flame itself, at the moment, thank you.

Her face quickly loses the cheerful optimism it usually displays, instead distorting a little.

“So, how is it…?” He can barely asks before coughing into his elbow.

“W-well… It’s a bit better than before, but…” She gulps. “Thirty nine point two.” She puts down the little stick and gets to her feet, turning to him too quickly for his muddled mind to register the movement correctly. “I’ll get you fever reducers, be right back! Do you need anything else?”

“…water?”

“Fever reducers, and a glass of water, coming!”

He watches her run out of her own bedroom and into the corridor he can’t see much of from his position. As much as it makes him smile to see her hovering over his condition like that, and as much as he’d love to remain awake until she comes back just to be with her some more, blackness is already creeping at the edges of his vision.

The fever reducers will have to wait…

**Author's Note:**

> Deadass trying not to write some FFXV stuff after having binged some fics for it for *days* just because I haven't seen enough of the game to have an actual opinion, even if I'm starting to gather too much knowledge not to do anything with it eventually.  
> Anyway "Breathless", both sickfics of this name, are amazing and goals. Go read 'em.


End file.
